When Worlds Collide
by NeonZangetsu
Summary: What would make Naruto defect from the Leaf? A certain redheaded, foul-mouthed, ill-tempered kunoichi holds the answer. NarutoxTayuya, Bleach X-over.
1. Into the Night!

_(Flashback)_

"Naruto, she can't stay here!"

"Why the hell not?!"

Naruto leaked a massive killer intent at the first person who had spoken, whilst standing in front of the second, who was sitting in a wheel chair, only her bandaged legs visible from behind his form.

" Pervy sage, I'm the Hokage now, and I say she stays!"

--

(One year later)

The light of a full moon shown down upon grim Naruto, as he and another silently walked along the dirt highway, not caring where he went, but just content to keep walking.

"Stupid." She spat at him, wiping the blood off the tan skin of her arms.

"I know you are, but what am I?" He spat back, earning an angry shriek from her, as he confounded her attempts to verball insult him, once more.

He had just committed the ultimate act of treason, second only to killing a village leader.

Because he WAS a village leader, and he had just left the village, KO'd Sakura, who had valiantly attempted to stop him, much like she had Sasuke, and failed this time as well-

He had left Sakura on a bench, much like his comrade had, even though the blond did not know this.

Nothing could have stopped him from leaving on this night.

Not even the horde of root Anbu Danzou sent after him, which had all been ruthlessly slaughtered now.

He looked to his right, and stared into the harsh brown eyes of his companion.

"What the fuck do you want?" Came her harsh reply, and Naruto laughed despite the act of treason he had just committed.

Even after he had found her under that tree, secretly nursed her back to health, and painstakingly endured her foul temperment-

She was still the same foul mouth, ill-tempered redhead he had met during the Retrieval mission.

"Hey! hey! Take it easy Tayuya-chan."

Then as an afterthought, an almost lecherous grin crept up his face.

"I was just admiring the view."

WHAM!

A large welt appeared on his head, as she clocked him hard with the blunt end of her own katana.

"PERV!"

Her outfit had gone through quite the change since he had saved her all those years ago.

It now resembled A black nakama, complete with a violet/red sash around her wide hips, with a crimson sheathe tucked there, which her blade slid back into moments later.

He chuckled, then as if flicking a switch, his mood sombered.

Why couldn't they understand, why couldn't they just accept that she was a good person?

That's all his village was, a bunch of prejedous fools.

Even now, he felt just a bit happier, now that he was out of the village.

It felt good, the wind in his hair, the fresh air in his lungs, as he let out a sad sigh.

And the presence of Tayuya helped as well, despite her perpetual bad mood.

"I hope they can understand why I left....

"You had your reasons." Came her gruff reply.

"Oh?" He quipped, giving her a sidelong look, an amused smile set upon his face. "And why did you come with me?"

Blushing, she looked away. "To keep your ass outta trouble."

That was a lie, and he knew it.

"You know I don't need protectin, Tay-chan."

"Call me that again and you're gonna lose something _very _valuable." She hissed, not liking his peristent advances on her, but what irked her more-

Was that she couldn't tell whether he was just messing with her, as he did with most of his friends-

Or if he actually meant something about it.

_Why I left..._

Then it hit him, and her, like a chakra enhanced punch from Tsunade.

They would wonder why they left, and they would surely be up in arms, once they found out that a former bodyguard of Orochimaru was with the sixth Hokage.

They'd probably assume that she kidnapped Naruto, and that meant she was as good as dead, practically a missing Ninja now, and so was he.

That meant they would send Ninja after him, and her.

Naruto would be hunted down, dragged back to the village, or killed, if he resisted.

Tayuya, well they would probably just kill her on sight.

Realizing just now the gravity of the situation Naruto groaned to himself.

Perhaps this was what Sasuke lived with, when he had left the village, all those years ago?

Was it this bad, this feeling of always having to look over your shoulder?

He didn't like the feeling, not one bit.

The thought of fighting his friends was not a pleasant one to him, and it made him frown, at having to see the life fade from their eyes, to have their blood on his hands, and drown in the guilt.

He quickened his pace a bit, as worry clouded his features, a red cloud of chakra beginning to envelop him as his features became more feral as did his voice.

"We have to get outta here. And fast."

"No, duh." She quipped, her large double D breasts jarring slightly up and down with each step, as the shorter girl easily kept pace with him.

He needed to find a place to stay, to perhaps elude and tracker ninja that would undoubtedly be sent his way.

But where?

Where would they, a former hokage, and an ex-sound nin, be offered safety, regardless of his official missing nin status?

Once again it hit him, like the sweet taste of ramen in the morning, the noddles that he loved so very much.

"Perfect. They'll never find us there."

Her eyes narrowed as he ran ever faster, forcing her to quicken her pace, as his speed steadily increased.

"Where are we going?"

"Hehe." He chuckled, earning a foul explicitive from her.

He knew EXACTLY where they could go. Even if it was just for a brief portion of time, they would be safe there...

--

Tsunade, recently reinstated as fifth hokage, after the desertion of the sixth, a.k.a one Naruto Uzumaki, felt tears glisten in her hazel eyes as teary Sakura gave her the news.

"What?! Naruto left the village?! When?!"

"Last night." Was her reply.

She instantly got an accusing glare from the fifth Hokage. "Did you have anything to do with this?"

She got a fierce emerald glare in return, as her student scowled back at her.

"No way in hell Hokage-sama! I tried to stop him, and he-he-

The pink haired jonin abruptly burst into tears once more, covering her face to hide the sorrow etched into it.

"He still left! Even after he promised me he wouldn't!"

Hope lit her eyes at that. Perhaps she could discover the reason, the cause for his absence.

"And how did he respond to your actions?"

Sakura's anguished sob was enough of answer, but she still, despite the effort it took, spoke. as he ran his left hand over his face, not sure if he should mention this next part.

"At first, he wouldn't tell me, then when I told him I loved him, he said that the old Naruto was dead. He said this place was too painful, that just being here hurt, and then he left with that redhead...

Tsunade buried her head in her arms, and let a lone tear drip out, whilst Sakura cried anew.

Then, taking a deep breath, the blond raised up her head, and when she did, her expression was unreadable.

"He may be a friend to us all, but we can't let him leave the village like he did, especially not with Tayuya. As long as he has the Kyuubi sealed within him, he is a dangerous threat to our village, as is she now that she's defected."

Sakura guffawed at that, realizing with the full force of horror, what she was saying.

"You want Naruto-kun dead....

At first she sounded stunned, _shocked _even.

This was a statement, not a fact.

Naruto had done so much for her, this village, for everyone...

---

The blond sighed as a sandy breeze swept aside his hair, yet the grains did not hinder his vision, thanks to the black goggles he wore.

In the distance, he saw his destination, and let out a small sigh, beneath his desert cloak, which blew about him in the wind. **(For the record, his outfit is that of Ichigo's, when he rescued Rukia)**

"Suna...

He should've tried this before.

Gaara would surely welcome them both with open arms, just so long as Naruto didn't accidentally bring half of Konoha to his doorstep.

"Plus, they needed supplies before they set out on their way again-

"BLEH!" Spat Tayuya, as sand got in her mouth, causing her to cough and hack violently, then give a small sneeze as her cloak tickled her nose in turn, thus leaving her utterly miserable.

"I hate this place."

"Then I like it." Retorted the former Kage, as he breezed past her, and began striding towards the village, forcing her to keep pace, sputtering many a curse along the way.

--

(Later)

"What kind of Hokage are you?!" Cried Hinata, as she burst through the door, looking angrier than Tsunade had ever seen her, and even now, the distraught Hyuuga was being restrained by Neji, who also looked quite grieved himsefl, as he held her back in a full nelson, whilst Kiba restrained her arms, trying his best to calm her, and barely able to even hold her, as at some point in time, she had gotten to be quite strong in the physical department.

Neji silently cursed himself for making her train with Lee.

"Easy Hinata! We're not happy about this either!" Soothed Kiba, trying his best to keep her from killing Tsunade, but failing miserably

"SHUT UP!" She screamed, and the two winced at the emotion in her voice.

She was _hurt. _

"You don't know what it's like!"

Terribly, terribly hurt.

The fifth Hokage knew exactly how she felt, be she would no tolerate insubordination.

Slamming her hands down on her desk with an audible, earsplitting crack, she scowled at the angry Hyuuga's before her, who winced at the loud sound, but still, Hinata held her ground.

Looking at the picture of him and Jiraiya on her desk, Tsunade let out a sad sigh for her now dead teammate, as in the picture, he and a younger, more cheerful Naruto were both smiling brightly, eyes closed and flashing the peace sign to the camera.

"The Akatsuki were never finished off. Naruto many be above sanin level now, but so was Jiraiya back then and we all know what happened to him."

Hinata hung her head in sad remembrance, the memory of Naruto bawling his eyes out at the pervert's grave, it was still painfully fresh in her mind, and of hos she could not comfort him. The sanin had been much like a father to the goofy blond, and now he too was dead.

Another of his precious people, forcefully ripped away from him.

"Unless you think you can bring him back alive, then there is no other way. He will have to be...eliminated."

Hinata went stiff as a board, then shook her head rapidly."Never! I'd rather die before _ever _harming Naruto-kun!"

"There is no other way." Came Tsunade's even reply.

Enraged beyond belief, the shy Hyuuga thrashed violently in herit took all of Neji's and Kiba's strength, just to hold her back.

Tsunade's next words made her feel like screaming, as she was helpless, like a child, in this situation. "Uchiha Madara and the other Akatsuki are still out there. We cannot allow them to get a hold of the Kyuubi."

Coughing, Neji spoke.

"Hokage-sama, give me one week."

Kiba slapped one hand into his palm.

"Same here! I'll try everything within my power to bring him back!"

Hinata jerked around in his grip, an anguished look upon her face

"Neji-san, Kiba-kun, no!"

Tsunade was more than happy to give them that time.

"Permission granted. But you two had best make it fast, because after that, I'll be forced to send in tracker nin."

"Just you wait and see, Lady Tsunade!" Crowed Kiba, whilst Neji just nodded, vanishing in a swirl of leaves, whilst Kiba sprang out of the window, to pack his things, and get a team together.

Hinata looked at the space where her teammates, and friends had been, and Tsunade could see the sadness in her pale lavender eyes.

Without a word, she walked out, closing the door behind her, soft sobs heard as she walked away.

Only then, when she was certain that she was alone, did Tsunade burst out into tears, anguished at what she had just ordered, the sobs wracking her body as she let the water flow freely.

What an age they lived in, when the young were forced to die before the old.

"Naruto...I'm so sorry...

--

They had arrived.

Naruto felt a smile tug at his lips as he inhaled the deep sea salt air of the ocean, and when he looked around, his eyes widened a bit, as he saw that over the past few years, the Wave Country had prosperred into a large city, that was bustling with life, seen even through the thick mist.

"Quit daydreaming." Grumbled Tayuya as she surveyed the surrounding warily, on high alert for any sign of enemies or such.

Then she saw the bridge, as well as the sign that was hung just over it.

Curious, she approached it, and felt her jaw drop on the floor as she read it. "No freakin way...

The sign read:

_The Great Naruto Bridge. Built in honor of the hero who gave us our courage back. The one who gave us our lives back. He will always be welcomed here, for as long as he wishes to grace us with is presence._

With a small smile, Naruto stepped up to her side, and drew a kunai.

Sowly, carefully, he etched his name into the wood, along with his once favorite saying.

"There we are. Now its perfect."

_Naruto Uzumaki. Believe it!_

"How in Kami's name did you get a bridge named after _you?" _Quiried the redhead, as she caught up to him, and he gave her a glare.

"You say that like I'm an idiot."

She gave him a deadpanned expression.

"You are an idiot."

Sputtering his protest, Naruto soon gave up, when he could not form a coherent sentence.

"BAH!" He spat, stalking onto the bridge, his sandaled feet clapping against it as he made his way to the one place he needed to go, once again leaving the smug redhead to follow him, reveling in her small victory...

--

Tazuna nearly fell out of his easy chair, as a now teenage Inari burst through the door, slamming it against the wall, and nearly giving the aged man a heart attack from the ruckus his grandson had created. Inari now had his crossbow strapped to his back, as he was clad in a white muscle shirt, and grey torn and faded jeans.

His face was alight with glee and excitement, and he was impatiently tapping his foot on the wooden floor as Tazuna recovered himself.

"Grandpa! Grandpa! Guess what?!"

Tazuna groaned as he put a hand over his chest, his heart now beating like a drum.

"What, that you gave me a heart attack? And Inari, do you HAVE to scare me like that?!"

He was getting too old to be spooked on a daily basis, but his grandson still managed to scare the living daylights outta him, every time, without fail.

And this time was no exception, as Inari paid him no heed, for he was visibly jumping up and down with excitement. "It's Naruto! He's come back! And he's got a _girl _with him"

_That_ nearly gave the aging bridge builder a heart attack, as his eyes bugged out of his head, anime style.

"WHAT?! He came back ye say?!"

Tazuna was out of his chair in an instant, and his sandals met his feet a moment later, as he stood in front of his energetically enthusiastic grandson, his own face now alight with happiness.

"That's wonderful news! Where is he?"

Inari now grabbed the hand of his grandfather, and roughly dragged him outside. "C'mon! I'll take you to him!"

--

Naruto let out a sigh as he looked down on the graves of both Zabuza and Haku, the massive sword of the 'Demon of the Mist' stuck before the graves.

He bowed in repsect, then glared at Tayuya, until she grudgingly did the same.

"I don't see what's so important about this-

She did a double take, as he suddenly stepped forward and seized the blade, pulling it forth from the ground with a rough tug, her doe brown eyes going wide with shock as he publicly desecrated the grave, by stealing the blade, and strapping it to his back, via some bandages.

"H-HEY! What the hell are you doing?!"

He expected there to be rust and decay, but there was none to be found, and this pleased him

True, it felt wrong to take this.

It made him feel like a grave robber.

But he needed it.

"Forgive me Zabuza, but I will need this, for my own protection. And I will do your name proud."

He felt a wind blow past him, whipping around him for three seconds, until it passed by

This blade would serve him well, much like it had its former master.

He would cherish the finely carved steel, and take good care of it.

Tayuya rolled her eyes.

"You and your stupid magic."

"Sh. I'm paying my respects."

If he was to be hunted, he needed a means to defend himself, just as she did.

They would stay here for a time, until he could map out his next move.

They alsoe needed a disguise of sorts.

Looking down to the village, his face showed his deep thought.

"I wonder if there is a mask maker around these parts...

"Naruto-san!"

He jumped a bit, as did Tayuya, that was how edgy they were feeling right now.

But looking over his shoulder, Naruto felt a rare grin grow on his face, from ear to ear as he saw Inari and Tazuna racing towards him, whilst the elderly man was being pulled along by his grandson, the aging man visibly out of breath, as his grandson released him to race towards Naruto.

"Hey! Old man! Inari!" Truly happy to see that they were alive and well, he turned to face them fully, just in time to be nearly tackled to the ground as Inari grabbed the taller man in a big bear hug, overjoyed to see his friend after so long a time.

"You came back! This is so cool!"

Tayuya just watched, at a loss for what to say or do.

Naruto chuckled as he got an arm loose, and gave Inari the noogie of his life, causing him to release his friend for the bone crushing grip.

"Yow! Take it easy! You'll burn my scalp off!"

Tazuna laughed as he watched the two goofing around.

"Simmer down Inari! Let Naruto breathe!"

Naruto laughed as he was released, then noticed the crossbow strapped to the teens back. "Look's like you've been practicing with that thing." Inara beamed up at his lifelong friend, and gave him a thumbs up. "Sure have-

Only then did he notice the massive sword strapped to the back of the ex-Kage, as well Tayuya, who, shifted to the side, uncomfortable already.

"Naruto-san, why do you have Zabuza's sword?"

Tazuna's smile collapsed into a frown as he watched Naruto's face fall a bit. "Well Inari, you see...

Ah, but the questioning was not yet done!

"And is that your girlfriend?"

The two missing nin flushed a dark red, protesting simultaneously.

"NO! He/she is not my boyfriend/girlfriend!"

Tazuna beat him to the punch, and saved the two much embarassment. "You left your village didn't you?" His grandson stifled a gasp, but Naruto gave a sad nod in confirmation.

"I can't hide anything from you, can I old man?" Tazuna shook his head as he moved his aching legs forward, and placed a hand on the shoulder of Naruto. "

You sure can't. I'm still alive for a reason."

Then his face lit up again, as he looked to Tayuya, slapping Naruto on the back, making him wince a bit, as his hand hit the sore back of the former leaf leader. "But enough of that! Why don't you and your lady friend-

"Its Tayuya." Hissed the redhead, not liking being referred to as a 'lady-friend' not in the least.

Yet Tazuna took it all in stride.

"Kay then, why don't you and Tayuya-chan come back to my place? We'll have a welcome back party, and you two can be the guests of honor!"

Naruto felt like his old self, as he sheepishly scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, I'd like that. Just don't get me drunk, ya old coot."

He looked to Tayuya. "Whaddya say?"

Reluctantly, sensing this was a bad idea in the works, she nodded.

"What the hell, I'm in."

Tazuna laughed, and slapped her on the back now, making even her wince from the hearty slap.

"Ah! It really is good to have the hero of the Wave here with us again!" The bridge builder now gave him a thumbs up of his own, then did an about face, and began to lead the way down the hill, strutting proudly as he saw the crowd that had assembled at the bottom of the hill.

"Well come on then! Your adoring fans await!"


	2. A Place to Stay

**Hehe...Party time! And I thank Jetslinger, for inspiring this fic! NaruxTayu 4ever!**

The growing crowd beneath them cheered as Naruto raised a hand in greeting, several of the more youthful teens starting a chant:

"Naruto...Naruto...Naruto...

By the time they had come down from the hill, it had grown from a small whisper into a loud roar.

"Oi, Naruto, you didn't piss any of these people off, did you?" Tayuya whispered, glaring at whoever had enough guts to make eye contact.

Naruto just sighed loudly, resting both hands behind his head.

"Damn, what a turnout." Muttered the redhead, actually surprised, that this many people would go out of their way, just to see the blond baka, who rarely, if ever seemed to be serious about anything other than getting stronger.

The group walked through the town at a leisurely gait, taking in the surrounding area with awe.

Inari nodded as the crowd thickened, then thinned. "What did you expect Tayuya-san? Naruto-sama is a hero here."

The blonde continued to wave, drawing more and more people in, as they formed a crowd behind them as well

Horrified, Tayuya painfully yanked on his arm.

"Don't encourage them!"

"Why not?" he asked, completely brushing off her warning. "If were gonna be on the run, I have to get used to everyone loving and adoring me while I still can."

The ex-Oto nin fought the urge to roll her eyes. She'd forgotten all about his idiotic quest to be the Hokage, and even though that time had come and gone, he still seemed to be a poster boy for the general public.

She personally didn't understand why it was such a big deal.

If they didn't like her, fuck 'em; that was her motto. Frowning, she pulled on his arm and sped up her pace, intent on getting through the hellish half-mile walk as quickly as possible.

Inari laughed as he led the way. "That's Naruto for ya!"

Said Jinchuuriki frowned now. "I can't stay, you know that. I have tracker nin after me, and there's a price on Tayuya's head, just for being near me. Staying here would put all of you in grave danger."

The teen gave a sad sigh, as they rounded a bend. "I know, but you could at least make the most of it, while you ARE here."

Naruto nodded. "I intend to." Despite the fact that he knew he couldn't stay here for long.

But he would enjoy every moment of it.

"This way!" Called Tazuna through the thick crowd.

Tayuya didn't have to be told twice. She seemed to almost teleport to Naruto's side, glad to be getting away from the massive amount of people.

She'd always hated being pointed and stared at ever since she was a child, and since she wasn't "evil" anymore, she couldn't really kill them all in one shot like she would have before.

Naruto was to blame for that.

Fuck, it sucked being good.

--

It took quite a bit of time to get to Tazuna's house, due to the large crowd, but at last they made it, and when Naruto saw the house, Tazuna gave a gracious bow to him.

"Here we are, my humble abode!" Naruto gawked at the size of the bridge builder's home. In no way, shape, or form could the castle that stood before them be called 'humble.'

"Whoa, how did you get such a huge place?! What happened to your old house?!" The man let out a loud sigh, glancing over his shoulder at Naruto, and his tone held just a trace of regret.

"To be honest, I'd wanted to stay right where I was. However, after completing the bridge and being voted village chief by the residents, they all insisted that I move into a home "fit for my position." The blond nodded his head, eyes still wandering over the vast property.

Things had definitely changed....

--

As he led them through the house,T ayuya took the chance to study the interior of the mansion.

If it was possible, the inside was even more impressive than the outside. Large, colorful wall scrolls hung from the pristine white surface of the walls, and various pictures of Tazuna and his family sat on the smooth wooden surfaces of the tables.

Naruto recognized most of the photos from the old house, but he was surprised to see one of him, Inari, Tsunami, and the rest of Team 7 at the official finishing of the bridge party they'd held the night before their departure.

He smiled sadly as he noticed that he and Sasuke were smirking at the camera with matching grins, arms hanging over each others' shoulders in a rare display of camaraderie.

It was hard to believe that they'd fought to the death, years ago, and even now, he still had yet to find his friend.

Ah, such poetic irony.

He _hated_ irony.

At his sides, his hands clenched into fists, and his body trembled briefly, in an uncontrolled expression of rage, his eyes flickering dangerously, from red to blue.

"Naruto." He glanced to his left to see Tayuya looking over at him in..._concern_.

"What's wrong?"

"What isn't?" He hissed under his breath, a pained expression set upon his visage, his words so soft, that only she, an expert at manipulating sound, could hear them.

Inari noticed this, the facial expression and nudged his friend in the side, a worried expression on his face.

"Naruto-san? Are you allright?

Naruto blinked twice, then shrugged his shoulders, smiling brightly, as he returned his gaze to the picture. "Ah, nothing! I was just wondering when this picture was taken."

Inari shrugged as he thougth that was all that was troubling his friend. "Oh, that? I took it, right before you guys left. I could get you a copy, if you'd like."

The blond's grin widened considerably, and he nodded his head enthusiastically in response. Satisfied that everything was fine, he jogged to catch up to Tazuna, with Naruto following suit moments later.

They walked for a few more seconds until they reached a large, open porch overlooking the backyard. Tazuna motioned for them to take a seat on the throw pillows surrounding a low table.

"So, Naruto, what brings you and your lovely lady back to the Wave Country?" the bridge builder asked, plopping down on the pillow at the head of the table, and simultaneously ducking a pillow heaved at him by said redhead

Naruto gave a small sigh, glaring at Tayuya, as Inari grabbed a nearby loudspeaker, and dashed outside.

"As you said before, I left the Leaf, and Tayuya-chan saw it fight to _accompany_ me."

The way he strained that word made Tayuya grit her teeth angrily.

Tazuna nodded sagely, as he took a swig from a nearby sake cup.

"Yep. But I would like to know exactly _why _you left."

Naruto gave Tazuna his story, as he heard Inari shouting some unintelligible babble into the loudspeaker outside, and the crowd cheered in response.

"Anyway, that's the story. But before Inari gets the party started, do you know of any good mask makers in these parts?'

Tazuna's brow crinkled in thought now, as they hear more unintelligible babble from Inari outside. "Well, there is this one guy I know, and he lives on the outskirts of town. But he doesn't come-

Naruto smirked ferally as he pulled out a large pouch of coins. "Then I don't have to worry about it."

"So...How long will you be able to stay?" Asked Tsunami, as she plopped down beside her father.

Naruto counted off on his hand. "Hmm...

"A week." Finished Tayuya, earning another glare from Naruto.

"Seeing as how you and Naruto seem to be on fairly good terms, I was wondering if we could ask you for a favor." She stated sweetly, and Naruto knew this she was up to something.

The bridge builder looked positively appalled at the question, and leaning back a little, he regarded herwith an astonished stare.

"Are you kidding? A favor is the least we could do for the Wave Country's savior! If we can help with your training in any way, just let us know!"

Tayuya glanced over at her fellow shinobi with a frown, and Naruto just shrugged.

What could the town leader do for them that they couldn't do for themselves?

"Well, is there a place on this island we could use for a few months?"

"We don't mind paying, of course, but we'd like the area to be reasonably closed off from the general public." Interjected Naruto, now glancing over at the redhead with an inward smirk, noticing her hopeful expression, which fell at the thought of having to pay to stay here.

"It'd also be nice if there was a beach nearby, so we don't stand out." Tazuna crossed his arms in thought, grunting slightly as he rolled the criteria around in his head.

"That means you wouldn't want something over here, then. All of the beach area is on the other side of the island." As if suddenly remembering something, Tsunami set down her cup of tea and looked up at her father.

"What about our vacation home, dad? It's plenty big enough for all of us, and we'd only be able to stay there for a couple of weeks during the summer anyway." Tayuya's eyes grew wide as a saucers.

"You have _another_ house?!" she exclaimed, unable to believe the words that had come from the woman's mouth. Tsunami giggled under her breath, holding an amused hand over her mouth.

"We didn't want it originally, but the villagers insisted that we have a place to get away from everything. Once we got there, though, even we couldn't turn down such a wonderful place. It's right next to the ocean, so it's almost like having your own private beach. The front of the home is also fenced off, so I doubt too many people would bother you.

Looking to Naruto, she gave a small sigh.

"But, seeing as how Naruto-kun is a celebrity here, there may be some folks who will want an autograph or picture with him."

Naruto frowned at that. "Hmm.. In that case-

"We'll take it!" Cried Tayuya all of a sudden, earning what seemed like another baleful glare from her blond teammate.

Tsunami smiled, apparently understanding something Naruto did not.

_Why the hell does she wanna be by the beach?_ He mused, scratching the back of his head.

Tazuna gave a small hic. "Ah, that's all right my boy! Just the fact that you have returned to visit us, is good enough for this old man!" He chuckled as several people, carrying large speakers, began to pour in, drawing odd looks from the two shinobi, whilst several others followed, carrying large quanties of sake and sushi with them.

"Now let's set up for the party!"


	3. Alchohol is Bad!

**Again I priase jetslinger for writing the best NaruxTayu fic ever, giving the best inspiration, and remember, i own nothing!**

The celebration the Wave Country present for the bash. Naruto leaned against the wall, lost in throught, whilst a tall girl, with dark green hair, a voluptuos body, clad in a traditional white kimono/nakama, looking to be about 15, was talking to Tazuna, who looked to be getting more drunk by the minute.

"Now, what's with 'The Great Naruto Bridge'? Surely this 'Naruto' didn't do anything great enough to get a bridge named after him."

"I'm quite curious about it myself." said another, this one a man, taller than the girl, and in his mid thirties, with a clean shaven, pale face, green snake-like eyes, chiseled features, and eyes. He too wore a kimono, much like that of the girl's, but unlike her, his hands were jammed in his pockets, and the way he held himself portrayed almost casual aloofness.

And what was not missed, was the fact that they each had a blade strapped to their waist.

Although it seemed that he was ignoring them, Naruto focused on these two strangers, as the girl looked expectantly at the old man.

Not far from him, on the other side of the room, Tayuya also looked to the two strangers a chill running up her spine already, as they chatted, as if It wasn't everyday that someone got a bridge as huge as that named after them.

Tazuna laughed loudly, mouth opening wide in genuine mirth, as he gave a small hic.

"Well, it's not his physical strength that really affected our town. If that was the case, we'd have named it 'The Great Kakashi Bridge.' That was his sensei's name. Instead, it was what he did for our country emotionally that made a difference."

The girl tilted her head, glancing at the man in disbelief.

"Emotionally? What's that supposed to mean-

The man placed a hand on her shoulder, and gave her a disapproving glare, as he gave it a squeeze. "That is quite enough." Giving a small bow to Tazuna, he apologized.

"Gomenosai. Tazuna-san, please continue."

Tazuna was more than happy to do so, as he took another swig from the bottle he held in his hand.

"Well, in a way, he united us all and gave us the strength to fight against Gatou and his financial oppression. It wasn't until Naruto arrived that our town was able to flourish, and as such, the villagers and I found it fitting to name it after him. After all, the bridge is uniting us with the rest of the shinobi world."

He paused as if remembering something before turning to the green haired girl, who was now looking at Naruto. "But what brings you two here?" The girl blinked but the man shrugged slightly, her frown deepening by a minuscule amount.

"It is nothing. But may I ask where we could find this 'Naruto'?"

NOW Naruto was intrigued, and detaching himself from the wall, he stalked over to the man, making himself known to the two strangers, his prescence easily detectable, as his six foot frame made him the tallest man in the room

"That would be me. What about it?" The old man's smirk widened, and a mischievous glint appeared in his eyes.

Tayuya smacked herself in the forehead, giving a small groan as Naruto confronted them.

_'Baka, NEVER reveal yourself to the enemy!_

"Naruto, do you know these two?"

The blond shook his head. "I do not. Perhaps they would _introduce _themselves?" As he said introduce, he reached behind his back for the hilt of his blade, making the unspoken threat quite obvious. The man saw it as well, and bowed deeply, the girl following suit, albeit a bit reluctantly, a second later.

"Ah, so you are Naruto Uzumaki no?"

Naruto gave a firm nod. "You already know this. But what business do you have with me?"

He now raised himself up, and the girl mimicked him, giving the man beside her a glare for making her bow, but she was silent as he spoke. "You remember Tsuchikage-sama Aizen, do you not?"

Naruto blinked at the mention of the name. "Aizen?"

The girl took a step forward, and snaked her arm in his.

"How can you not? The two of you created the Hogyoko, and zanpaktou, remember?"

"And what if he doesn't remember?" Hissed Tayuya, now appearing to Naruto's left, her right hand straying to the blade strapped at her hip, whilst her left forcefully shoved the flirtatious girl away-

And of course, Tazuna took it the wrong way.

"Well I'll be darned! Look's like our Naruto-kun is quite the ladies man!"

The former Kage gawked at the old man.

What the hell was he trying to imply?!

Tazuna cackled wildly at the look. "Just kidding my boy!"

Luckily for him, Tsunami chose that moment to walk into the room with their drinks.

"Oh? Did I miss something?" she asked, setting the tray down on the large table before taking a place next to Naruto.

"No!" he grumbled, his cheeks dusted with a light shade of pink, as he saw the same blush upon Tayuya's face as well.

Unfortunately, this only amused the others further.

Finally the man decided enough was enough, and introduced himself. "My apologies. Allow me to introduce myself-

He gave a small bow once more. "I am Ulquiorra Schiffer and-

Straightening himself up, he cast a sidelong look to his companion. "This is Neliel."

He now pulled out a white enevelope from the large folds of his sleeve, and handed it to Naruto, who promptly opened it, as he recognized the seal of the leader of Iwa. "Are here on the behalf of Aizen-sama, to give you this letter."

Naruto casually tucked it under his arm.

"Fine."

Without another word, the two bowed, and left, their work done.

Immediately, Tayuya glared at Naruto.

"What?" He growled, then shaking his head, stalked off when she refused to break her glare.

"Fuck this, I'm getting a drink...

---

Sighing, Tayuya rolled her eyes as she downed the serving of alcohol in one gulp, reveling in the familiar bitter taste that accompanied the drink. The tingling burn she felt seemed to rejuvenate her tired body, and let out a loud sigh as she felt the liquid settle in her belly.

She saw Naruto standing in the corner, reading over the letter, then she arched a red eyebrow as he reached into the hidden pocket of his robe-

And pulled out a small crystalling sphere, one which, upon checking to make sure it was okay, he promptly tucked aside once more, now stowing the letter as well in the same manner.

Watching his face, she noticed that his expression seemed to darken a bit.

Moments later, he sat down at the far end of the hastily erected mansion bar, and grabbed a cup of sake.

"What is with you?" Chided Tayuya, as she abandoned her current seat, now moving to sit a seat away from him.

"Nothing."

Abandoning the conversation, he turned his full attention to the cooling food in front of him, shoving another mouthful of noodles into his mouth.

Not one to be easily put off, Tayuya leaned forward until she literally raping his personal space.

"You worked with this Aizen guy, and just now you looked pissed. What for?"

When he didn't answer, she slid a saucer of sake over to the eating blond.

If all else fails, get them drunk.

He stared down at the shallow cup with a small frown, already reeling from the strong, bitter smell of the alcohol. "What's wrong?" She asked, a challenging grin appearing on her face. "Is the great Uzumaki Naruto afraid of a little sake?"

The blond growled in the back of his throat, doing his best to tune the girl out.

"I thought you never backed down from a challenge."

A vein throbed in his head.

"Pfft, I should've known you were all talk and no-

"Shut up!" he roared, startling everyone with his sudden outburst.

Snarling he snatched up the shallow dish and downed the drink in one gulp, missing the wide grin that was breaking out on the redhead's face. She began to laugh when he choked and sputtered because of the burn that accompanied the strong liquid.

"Well, what do you know, you _do_ have some balls!" She refilled his dish and stared at him expectantly. After recovering enough to speak, Naruto shot her his meanest glare and pushed her away, only to be shoved right back, twice as hard, nearly knocked off his stool as a result.

'"The fuck is with you?!" He cussed as he righted himself, only to be taunted yet again

Lifting the dish to her mouth, she easily swallowed the alcohol without so much as a cough, still mocking him. "Only a wimp couldn't handle a little sake...

To be honest, she was already starting to feel the effects of the alcohol in her system.

Naruto looked just a little bit blurry as compared to a few seconds ago.

There was no WAY he was gonna let her show him up like that!

"Fine! Gimme that!" He snatched the cup off of the counter, boisterously drinking and swallowing another serving.

He somehow managed to avoid choking, and satisfied that he'd successfully downed the fluid, shot her a challenging grin.

"Easy. Satisfied?"

Unfortunately for him, she wasn't quite done.

She motioned for the bartender to bring her another couple of bottles of sake, much to the old man's chagrin. It wasn't his place to tell the hero of the Wave and his woman, what they should and shouldn't be doing, and as much as he wanted to put a stop to the drinking game, he knew nothing short of knocking the teens out would end their dangerous play.

With a heavy sigh, he placed two more bottles onto the counter, frowning as the girl immediately set about refilling their saucers.

"Two?" she taunted, staring him right in the eyes, "Only a bitch can't handle more than that." She threw back another serving of sake before slamming it back down, grinning when he did the same, albeit more forcefully determined to outdo her.

She watched amused as his eyes seemed to cross for a second, and briefly wondered if hers were doing the same.

The game continued for many more rounds, each of them managing to get down fifteen servings of sake. By now the entire restaurant was blurry except for certain items coming in and out of focus at random times. She suddenly remembered her original goal, and casually drinking another saucer of sake, she turned in the direction she _believed _Naruto was seated.

"So, what was you pissed off 'bout?" she slurred, body wavering ever so slightly.

The blond drank another cup and shrugged, his words slurred horribly now.

"Iunno, seems sorta stupid now. Diz Azen guy wuz my pertner, and hez after ma reserch er somethin!" As if understanding what he was saying (when she really didn't), Tayuya nodded her head.

"Yeah man, dats some fucked up shit there. I know what dat shit feels like." Tazuna, now painfully sober, could only chuckle shaking his head as the redhead tilted one of their many bottles into the air, swallowing everything that was left in the small white container.

The party had long since ended, and the two were the only ones left.

Perhaps that was for the best...

**And the drunken fun continues next chapter....**


	4. Passion

**Enjoy!**

"Anudder!" she yelled, slamming her hand on the countertop. Finally drawing the line, Tsunami grabbed the empty bottles and pulled them back into the kitchen, tossing them into the recycle bin sitting next to the sink.

"I'm cutting you two off for the night. I don't want to be responsible for you guys getting knocked up."

The redhead kunoichi growled viciously and flipped her off with a perfectly manicured finger, pushing herself into what she assumed was a standing position.

"Fuck you, tosser! C'mon Naruto, lets get outta here." The blond too shot the surprised woman a middle finger, then, staggered towards the door, with Tayuya leaning against him for support.

"The beachouse is round the corner!" Called Tazuna, as the two staggered out the door.

Tsunami shot her father a baleful glare. "Dad! Aren't you going to stop them?!"

The elderley man raised his shoulders in a helpless shrug, the doork slamming shut behind the two stoned shinobi.

"Nah, let em have their fun, besides, they're gonna have one hell of a hangover tomorrow...

---

"Shit, man, didya see da look on that punk bitch's face when we flipped 'im off?" Tayuya practically shouted as they swaggered towards the residential district.

Naruto laughed out loud, showing every one of his clear white teeth.

"Hell yeah! Fuck, yer fuckin' badass for a chick, you know dat?!" The kunoichi joined him in his laughter, having to hold her arm out in front of herself to keep them from falling over.

Idly, the one percent of her that was sober wondered what the hell she was doing-

And in her drunken state, the redhead clearly ignored it.

"Nah, you're pretty boss yerself! Shit, I dunno why yer so emo... You a fag or somethin'?" He laughed again, nearly tripping over his own feet for the fifth time since they'd set out for...

"Oi, where da hell're we goin' anyway?" Naruto asked, the first smart thing that had come out of his mouth since they'd began drinking. Tayuya flashed him a flirtatious grin.

There were two types of drunks in the world; happy drunks, and sad drunks. Happy drunks tended to become exceedingly horny, flirtatious, and, well, happy.

Sad drunks tended to become suicidal, depressed, and an all around horrible person to be around. Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on your point of view), Tayuya was a happy drunk.

"To da beachouse." She led him round several corners, then up a set of stone steps, the stairs to the flat, holding onto the railing for dear life as she ascended.

It didn't help that the entire world was spinning around her, nor that she was having trouble figuring out which was way up and which way was down.

Luckily for both of them, the house was right at the top of the stairs; otherwise, there was a strong chance that one or both of them would've fallen over, and down the hard stone steps.

She vaguely remembered the old geezer giving her the keys, and searched for them-

After fumbling around in her deep black pants for two minutes looking for her keys, she pouted slightly and glanced back at the blond behind her.

"I can't find my fuckin' keys!"

Naruto blinked in confusion for a few seconds, staring at her as if she'd grown another head. He eventually understood what she wanted him to do, and with a small grunt, he jammed his large hands into her back pockets to help her look.

The girl squealed loudly at the contact, uncharacteristically breaking out into a fit of giggles.

Oridnarily, had she been sober, she would've slapped him silly, for even laying a _hand _on her...

But as she was now, she felt no such inhibition, no desire to beat him to a bloody pulp

Grinning widely, Naruto squeezed her ass through her pants, causing her to shriek again.

"EEP!"

She pressed herself snugly up against his larger body, shivering when she felt his shallow breath against her neck. He reeked of ramen and cheap sake; but then again, so did she.

The feel of something hard pressing into her lower back caused her to freeze momentarily, and she shifted her position a bit to find a more comfortable spot.

It wasn't until he groaned softly into her ear that she understood what the object that had been poking her was. Giggling once again, she deliberately rubbed herself against him, pretending to still be searching for keys.

For his part, Naruto felt like he was in heaven and hell at the same time. The immense amounts of pleasure he was receiving was murder on his nervous system, and he briefly wondered if it was her goal to drive him mad with her teasing.

Luckily for him, he was temporarily put of his misery when she finally emerged with said object.

"Found 'em!" she exclaimed, jiggling the pieces of metal in front of his eyes. She reluctantly stepped away from his body, and after two or three tries, managed to smoothly slip the correct key into the lock.

She quickly opened and stumbled into the door, loudly banging the doorknob against the adjacent wall.

Her mind didn't even register the noise, however, as she was focused on one thing and one thing only: Naruto.

Tayuya pulled him into the house and shut the door behind him as if sealing his fate.

The room was dark, and not a single light was on.

Her eyes were dark with lust, and rushing up to the equally horny blond, she roughly shoved him up against the door and slammed her lips to his in a sloppy kiss.

Their hands roamed over each other's bodies, feeling, touching, thoroughly molesting everything they could.

It hadn't even occurred to her that this was her first kiss, nor that she had absolutely no idea what or why she was doing it.

All she knew was that it felt _damn_ good.

She forcefully shoved her tongue into his mouth.

That simple action provided twice as much pleasure as meager lip on lip contact did, and she moaned in joy when Naruto's tongue joined hers in an oral wrestling match.

The battle for dominance was incredibly fierce as both ninja fought for control -- a battle which the shorter girl quickly lost when his hands somehow managed to snake their way up her shirt to loosely cup her breasts.

"N-Naruto..." she moaned, breaking the kiss to tilt her head back in bliss.

This was far better than any drug and ten times more intense.

What the fuck had she been missing out on for all of these years?! She moaned again when he attacked the newly exposed skin of her neck, licking and sucking at the tender flesh as if his life depended on it.

It felt so fucking good that she couldn't help but wonder if he'd done this before.

So absorbed was she in this, that Tayuya missed the removal of his hands from her breasts until he had easily hefted her up by her thighs, bringing her high enough to where he could freely capture her lips in another bone searing kiss.

"Bedroom," he muttered, breaking the lip lock long enough for her to answer. She looked to her left, and upon seeing an open door, pointed, then latched her lips onto his again, hanging on for dear life as he walked the both of them to the room-

And whaddya know?

It just happened to have a queen-sized bed.

Unfortunately for both of them, Naruto found it nearly impossible to navigate through the dark apartment drunk; even more so with a vigorously active girl in his arms.

After much stumbling, crashing, and pain, he eventually made it to the oh-so-holy sanctuary known as the bedroom.

Without so much as a warning, he threw her back first onto the feather filled mattress before jumping onto the bed after her, fully intending to continue their amorous activities.

He wasn't counting on her expertly rolling him onto his back so that she was straddling him.

He watched wide eyed as she reached into her sheathe at her side, drawing out her blade, which was till strapped to her hips-

And effortlessly sliced shirt open down the front and ripping it off of him, before chucking her blade to the foor.

"Didya really have to do that?" he asked, panting in both nervousness and exertion.

She smiled, and it lit her face.

"Damn..."

Having had enough of her delicious torture, he suddenly sat up on the bed, evoking a small 'meep' from the smaller girl on top of him. Naruto grabbed the bottom of her shirt and began to pull it up, smirking slightly when she earnestly lifted her arms above her head to assist him.

"Like what you see?" She teased, cupping her breasts for added effect. She was exceedingly glad that she'd foregone wearing a bra that day, as that was one less step they had to go through.

Her smile widened when she realized that he was still stuck on her chest, and she took that chance to quickly unbuckle his pants and pull both them and his boxers off of him.

She was grateful that the bandages didn't extend down past his waist.

Luckily for both of them, her lust far outweighed the fear, and she hurriedly stripped off her own pants and panties and straddled the now very nervous Naruto.

"Scared?" He slowly shook his head, a tiny smile appearing on his face.

"Hell no."

"Good." Closing her eyes tightly, she leaned forward and captured his lips in another kiss before all but slamming herself down onto him. While it did hurt a bit, the pain wasn't nearly as bad as she'd thought it would be.

She chalked the small phenomenon up to the fact that she was a kunoichi, drunk...

And she really just didn't care

"Are you okay?" Naruto asked, awkwardly rubbing her back as she leaned against him. She nodded into his chest, and as if confirming her answer, she slowly began to move against him.

The effect was immediate.

Both gasped out in pleasure, unused to the intense feelings emanating from their conjoined genitals. Everything they'd done up until this point was like child's play compared to the main event.

She paused momentarily to catch her breath, barely able to believe that something so simple could feel so good.

She rested for a few more seconds before resuming their act, grinding against him at a much quicker pace than before. Every nerve in her body felt like it was being dipped into a pool of molten lava, and she was forced to leave her mouth wide open lest she suffocate.

Naruto placed light, slow kisses along the left side of her neck and collarbone, wrapping his right arm around her waist to help her slide against him. It took every ounce of his concentration not to explode right there, and if he didn't do something to distract himself, he wouldn't last more than a minute. With that thought in mind, he brought his left hand up to her breasts, idly rubbing and pinching the nipples.

Her moans intensified considerably, and he suddenly felt her begin to speed up against him.

"N...Naruto," she stuttered, her eyelids half closed and her mouth wide open. "I...I'm..." At that moment, her body suddenly stiffened and jerked on top of him, a loud shriek tearing it's way out of her throat as her eyes shot open in bliss.

She felt herself thrown into vicious spasms, and her toes curled and uncurled with delicious pleasure. Shortly after, her partner joined her in the throes of passion.

"Agh!" he yelled, feeling himself begin to jerk and spasm like she had done only moments before.

Naruto slowly leaned back until he was fully reclining against the soft, downy mattress. The redhead lay wantonly on top of him, already feeling unconsciousness begin to creep in at the edges of her vision.

"That...that was fuckin' amazin'," Tayuya drawled, leaning her head on his muscular chest. The blond below her laughed lightly.

"Amazin' don't begin to describe that." She nodded her head minutely to show that she agreed before closing her eyes to get some well deserved rest....


	5. The Morning After

**NOTE: I DID NOT STEAL PARTS FROM JETSLINGER'S STORY! I am writing this story, because HIS story, inspired me to write a NarutoxTayuya fic of my own! I cannot help if the scenes in wave are similiar, because in my mind, after a good TEN years, dont you think they'd be back on their feet? **

**And if I 'stole' this story, then why the hell are they older, left the village, gone to Suna, AND with a bleach X-over to boot?**

**Seriously people, just open your eyes and read between the lines. ****Furthermore, we all know Tayuya's temperment, and she HATES attention from crowds, so there.**

**So if anyone says i stole this story...**

**Stick around for a few more chapters.**

**I'll prove all you naysayers wrong.**

**DEAD wrong.**

**And to those reviewers who see that I created this fic all my own,(and that lemon was a DOOZY to make) then thank you so much for your trust and kind words.**

**Now, for the morning after! AHAHAHAHA!**

Pain.

That was what Tayuya felt when she awoke the next morning.

Her eyes opened hazily, and she felt terrible, the hangover back in force, making her wish she were dead.

"Damn. .Damn. I am NEVER drinking that much sake EVER again...

She didn't remember how she got here, and sitting up, brushed away locks of crimson hair from her face.

Until she realized she was in a bed.

Alone.

And naked.

Her eyes widened and moments later... the events of last night came crashing down on her.

Him.

Her.

"Holy-

With a small 'eep!'She sat up in the bed, wrapping the sheets about her nude form.

"NA-RU-TO!"

CRASH!

She suddenly heard a loud explosion outside, then Naruto's startled curse, then joyous exclamation.

"YES! I DID IT!"

Tying the sheets about her waist, she sprang to the window, and her eyes went wide with surprise, as she saw him standing upon the beach, fully clothed, blade strapped to his back-

And with her flute in his hands?!

--

Naruto looked over his shoulder as Tayuya emerged from the house, sheets tied about her waist, and looking quite flustered, pissed, and-

Worried?

Was that fear in her eyes?

"URK!" The blond cried as she suddenly tackled him to the ground, looking none too happy, as she slowly ground out each word, visibly pissed off, as she grabbed back he rmost prized possession.

"You have some explaining to do!"

Naruto smiled, and much to her surprise, rose, easily throwing the lighter girl off him, using his weight to his advantage.

With a small 'oof!' she fell back against the sand, glaring up at him as her butt cushioned her fall.

"You son of a-

He wagged a finger at her.

"What's done is done. There's no point in trying to kill me over-

"Baka!" She screeched at him, furious that he was taking the matter so lightly.

She had given herself to him that night, body and soul, albeit a little drunkenly, but still-

The fact that he didn't seem to care, it hurt.

"DIDN'T THAT MEAN ANYTHING TO YOU?!"

She blinked as he knelt down before her, his facial expression betraying nothing, his eyes blank, his face quite close to hers, practically raping her personal space.

"Are you implying that it didn't?"

"W-What're y-you-

Then he kissed her, full on the lips, leaving her dazed, a small sound escaping her lips, a moan as he pulled away.

"Does that answer your question?"

Her answer, was to tackle him again, grabbing him by his rough blond hair, and pulling him into a fierce kiss all her own...


	6. Training

WHAM!

"YEOW! THE HELL?!" Cried Naruto, as he rubbed his sore cranium, which Tayuya had promptly smacked the moment she broke the brief kiss.

"For stealing my flute and learning my techniques behind my back!" Was her cry, as she sprang off him, pushing his body back against the sand, then slowly strutting her way back to the house-

Aware of Naruto's gaze on her rear the entire time.

A light blush lighting her face, she looked over her shoulder, her long loose ruby red hair falling slightly across her face as she did so, a wicked 'if you don't stop looking, I'm gonna kill you' look and smile upon her face, hands upon her hips, her eyes glinting mischeviously, daring him to try it.

"Like what you see?"

Fearing for his life, the blond looked away, and her smile softened, as she headed inside.

"Wise choice."

--

Now fully clothed, Tayuya emerged from the house, no longer clad in the one-piece nakama, but instead sporting pair of basic black jean shorts, a navy blue tank top, and her long crimson hair now tied back in a ponytail, which easily reached past her waist, to eventually halt, level with her rear.

Her blade was drawn, and held loosley at her side, and as she spied Naruto, she strutted up to him, her foul mood diminished somewhat, but still there, as she eyed his giant sword, which was still firmly tied to his back.

Her hazel eyes slowly ran over him, every inch of his body.

_'Dang, why does he always-_

Before she let out a small sigh, shaking her head to dispel the perverted thoughts, breaking her stare to finally speak.

"Okay baka, if you have a giant weapon like that, then I'd best teach you how to-

Naruto was paying her no attention, sitting in the sand indian style, his tan cape folded on the ground by the house, leaving him clad in his bandaged black kimono, the only bare skin aside from his face and neck, being that of his hands and shoulders.

A tick mark appeared on her head, as she saw him experimenting with the orb she had seen last night.

Tapping a metal rod to it, he arched an eyebrow behind the goggles he wore, before putting the thin strip down, then pressing a mini torch to its surface, received no reaction as the fire blazed about the barrier breaker, it was totally unharmed.

Yet if you placed it upon an average blade, you could potentially create a zanpaktou, or so his earlier results had shown, with experimentation upon Tayuya's blade...

He just had to test the theory.

Unstrapping his blade, he laid the giant zanbato on his lap, then searched for somewhere to attach it-

Immediately, his eyes fell upon the hole in the middle of the blade.

Hesitantly, he placed the Hogyoku there, one eye on the blade, the other darting this way and that, as if for fear of thievery-

Yet both his eyes widened as his blade glowed a bright blue, silhouetted in cerulean.

Son enraptured was he by these discoveries, that he was unaware of Tayuya, whose temper was rapidly reaching a boiling point.

Rather than paying attention to _her, _he was playing with a toy?!

Stars flashed through the blond's eyes as she smacked him hard over the head with her blade, her cry of annoyance ringing through his ears seconds later

"OI!"

Naruto held his hand in pain as a large bruise swelled upon his head, somehow retaining the foresight to tuck away the Hogyoku before his untimely beating.

"YEOW! Taya-chaaaan What was that for?!" He whined, rubbing his sore cranium, angry that his research had been interrupted so soon.

Desiring another reaction, she bopped him again, and this time the redhead grinned as her blond companion sprang to his feet, lest he be struck again.

"Practice that's what."

Naruto tilted his head slightly, before dispensing with his equiptment, via sealing his tools and such within a storage scroll.

"Practice?"

Eyeing his blade, she spoke again, certain that she had his full attention.

"You probably don't even know how to use that blade."

His eyes sparked dangerously, and he grasped its hilt.

"Oh yeah?! I'll show you!"

--

(Hours later)

Naruto ducked low as her blade nicked the side of his chin, swinging upward with his giant cleaver of a blade seconds later-

Too slow.

Tayuya just stepped to the left, and it passed her harmlessly by.

For though he possessed the strength to actually swing the guillotine sword, his movements were often overpowered and slow.

True, if he hit you, you'd be done in a moment-

But that was entirely unlikely as you'd have to stand still for him to score even a glancing blow

Basically, unless he actually got faster with a blade, he would be going nowhere fast.

Easily ducking under a particularly pathetic swing by her teammate, Tayuya frowned and hit him -- quite powerfully -- on top of his head with the blunt edge of her blade.

The poor blond fell to the ground, desperately clutching his throbbing head in pain, his blade falling from his grasp

"OW!"

For her part, Tayuya was pissed.

He just wasn't getting it!

Instead of doing what _she _had told him, he seemed insistent on emulating moves that consisted of low hard swings, ones that did not maximize the wide range of his massive zanbato, but instead focused on a foot wide radius about him.

If he just used wide swings, his hit rate would improve dramatically.

She barely noticed that the thinner her patience became, the harder she was starting to hit him, occasionally even with the sharp edge of her blade.

Swordsmanship wasn't that hard to learn, she had gotten the hang of it in about a year.

But Naruto...

He was taking freaking _forever_!

There were only five basic stances and twelve different forms that they knew of, all of which were open to personal interpretation.

While learning the stances went well enough, the forms seemed to be giving problems.

Or, to be more accurate, they were giving _Naruto_ problems.

She sighed and viciously scratched at her hair, wondering how to go about teaching the idiot how the style worked. Unfortunately, no one else in Wave could even use a blade to her degree, which meant no help.

She was on her own.

"Look, watch me; play close attention to how low my center of gravity is, and if you don't get something, feel free to stop me at anytime. Okay?" she instructed, doing her best to keep the anger from spilling into her voice.

The blond slowly nodded his head.

At least he was being obedient, even if he did suck with kenjutsu.

Tayuya settled into the first stance, spreading her legs wide and holding her bokuto above her head facing her opponent. Her arm was bent at a perfect ninety degree angle, and her other hand clasped the lower section of her hilt.

Her eyes closed, her voice now calm.

"Dance-

Suddenly, the thin katana, its very form, melted in her hand, glowing a pure white, extending and reforming in a matter of moments, all the while held firmly in her hands.

Its hilt, edge, even its guard, they all turned pure white.

The blade itself lengthened somewhat, and Naruto looked on in awe, as a sleeve of pure white ribbon grew out from its hilt, waving in the salty breeze, as Tayuya spun it in a slow circle, opening her eyes as she did so.

"Sode no Shiryayuki."

Before he could blink, the girl stabbed the sword forward and brought it back, impaling her invisible opponent with absolute precision.

She then released the sword in mid-air, spinning quickly to catch the weapon with her left hand and bringing the sword around for a deadly swipe across her opponent's torso, finishing the job in case he'd somehow managed to survive her first attack.

A small smile touched his lips.

This was the first zanpaktou, the only blade that had emerged from a series of rigorous tests he and Aizen had created, and by far, the most beautiful zanpaktou the world had ever seen.

Naruto had wisely taken the lone product of their research with him, when he abdicated from his alliance with the Tsuchikage, as he soon realized that Sousuke's goals were not as pure as he originally believed.

All the more reason that it was _imperative _to find a way to destroy the Hogyoku, or at least keep it out of the clutches of the Tsuchikage and Iwa.

Her breath came out in perfectly timed huffs, and smirking slightly to herself as she felt his eyes on her, whilst she began to settle into the second form of the first stance.

This last one was a little tricky, and-

"Sono no Mai! Tsuki Shiro!"

Naruto watched as her dance suddenly melted into a lunge, flinging herself forward, her blade slicing the air before her in a horizontal slash, a circle suddenly forming in the sand.

The circle began to freeze over the portion of sand-

And then, a glorious white pillar of pure ice shot up from the ground, transcending to the heavens; swallowing up all within it obliterating all inside to tiny shards of ice.

She looked like a glorious icey goddess, as the shards fell to the ground, a confident look in her eyes, as she spun to a halt.

"And THAT'S how you do it."

Naruto opened his mouth to speak-

"HEEEELP!!"

" A shrill voice screamed, instantly breaking the momentary concentration.

Tayuya averted her eyes towards the hill of sand overlooking their training area, woefully surprised to see a monster of some sort, standing upon it, clutching a little girl in its giant hands, a troublesome trio of eyes in its mask staring back at her.

Her eye twitched in annoyance at the word troublesome; the last person she wanted to remember was that pineapple-headed brat who called himself a shinobi.

"The hell is that?!

"A hollow." Ground the blond under his breath.

Naruto sprang to his feet in a moment, pulling his blade out of the ground and charging forward, in long bounds that made good use of his long legs, propelling him forward, with each step-

The beast opened its mouth, and Naruto paled , as it prepared to drop the unfortunate child into its maw-

He wouldn't make it in time, and Tayuya was only now breaking into a run-

"ROAR ZABIMARU!"

Naruto skidded to a halt, as a whip suddenly came out of nowhere, seemingly behind the beast-

And cut it right in half, as it slashed from right to left, splitting it in two.

The little girl fell out of the monster's now limp hand, and was promptly caught before she could fall-

He rescuer wore a black kimono, and sported wild red hair that was tied back in a ponytail.

Upon landing, Naruto got a good look at his blade-

And then gasped as he watched the 'whip' conjoin its sections once again, forming a blade that boasted wicked spikes, before ending with a particulary large hooked spike at the end.

_No, that's not a blade, thats-_

He was so absorbed in this discovery, that he failed to notice as the man pressed the hilt of his blade to the girl's forehead, sending the lost soul to a peaceful afterlife.

_'That's a zanpaktou! But how?!'_

As if just noticing him, the man turned in his direction, and his brown eyes widened as he saw Naruto staring right at him.

"Oi! Who the hell are you?" Quipped Tayuya, just now appearing at Naruto's side, her blade still retaining its release, and held loosely at her side.

"Who am I?!" Retorted the man, overcoming his intial shock at actually being seen.

Hooking a thumb, he indicated himself.

"Abarai Renji, vice-captain of the 6th division!"

Naruto sweatdropped.

"Eh?"

The redhead smacked himself in the forehead, realizing he should have said that.

"Er...Nevermind."

"Is that...A zanpaktou?" Asked Naruto, greatly intrigued to see such a thing, that he had not created.

The mood changed, and Renji just now noticed Tayuya's blade, his eyes narrowing dangerously

"Hold it...How does _she_ have a zanpaktou?!"

Easily angered, Tayuya kicked him in the shin, causing the lieutenant to hop up and down in pain, holding his wounded limb.

"What's it matter to you?!"

Naruto sweatdropped before moving in between the two redheads, breaking them apart with a heavy sigh.

"Hold it, I can explain...


	7. Reincarnation? No Way! Right?

**This is short, but its getting my creative juices flowing, so please bear with me...**

After all was said and done, Renji looked at him like was crazy.

"You're shitting me, right? YOU created that little thing?"

Naruto nodded his head slowly.

"I wish I was."

Curiosity spurring him, he now looked pointedly at Renji.

"What's the name of your blade?"

"Zabimaru." The lieutnenant replied.

then did a double take, as he peered at Naruto's weapon.

His eyes went incredibly wide.

"H-Hey! That sword-

Naruto looked at Zabuza's blade, suddenly aware that it was lighter

"Eh?!"

The blonde and reheads' sqwuaked in surprise, as they saw that the Hogyoku had wrought some unexpected work of its own.

Looking down at it, he arched a surprised eyebrow, as his blade seemed to have changed somehow, although he was not aware of when that had taken place.

It was still quite large, but not nearly so much as before, it was sleeker in comparison.

It now resembled an oversized butcher knife, and the handle, which had no guard whatsoever was grasped firmly in his hand, its handle wrapped tightly in cloth, the end of it trailing loosely in the breeze.

Jamming its tip into the ground, he looked over it.

The serrated edge was now a bright shimmer of silver, while the tip and the upper half of the blade was pure black.

_'Shout: Zangetsu.' _The name resonated in his skull, and he released that this must be a'shikai' of his blade.

_You are close Naruto, very close._

Nodding, Naruto could now distinguish the voice as male, as its deep bass undertone gave it away.

"So you're a... Zanpaktou."

A small chuckle now, and he could hear Renji speaking, but the deep booming voice overrode him

_It has taken you quite some time, but I'm pleased to finally have a chat with you once more, and even more surprised to see that you summoned me so easily...._

_'Once more?' _He asked, confused.

He would have remembered a talking sword.

A laugh. _You'll remember soon enough...._

As if on cue, the blade shimmered, returning to its sealed state and the familiar weight was felt in his hand.

_Better? _Quipped the voice, in an even tone.

"Hmph." Naruto grunted, shouldering it over his back, and smiling.

"Shout."

Immediately, a wind of blue light swept up about the blade, and moments later, it had morphed back into shikai form.

With a fierce yell, he swung it down and was amazed at how light it felt despite the fact that it was easily just as large as before-

Yet its power was FAR more focused, as a blue light shone from its tip, just before impact-

Tearing a large yet narrow crevasse into the earth, the wave of blue light shot out in a crescent shape traveling onward until it at last dissipated.

Steam rose from the blade, and a wicked grin worked its way up the blonde's face.

"Impressive. What was that?"

_Getsuga Tenshou, or in your terms, moon fang piercing the heavens._

Again Naruto swung, now calling out the name of the attack, and was rewarded with another wave, then another, and another, as he swung again and again wildly into the air.

_That is my power. With me, there is NOTHING you cannot cut._

Suddenly stopping, the Jinchuuriki looked down at his blade in reverent awe.

"Anything, huh?"

The prospects and potential of that pleased him.

A chuckle escaped his lips, and then soon twisted into a laugh.

This was not a happy laugh, but a psychotic one, as he felt new power course through him, his head thrown back as he basked in the blue glow of his power.

"OI!"

Renji's sharp shout dragged him out of his mindscape, and the blond was left to stare at the shinigami.

"Hmm?"

Tsking, Renj shook his head, before looking at the two missing nin.

"Look, do you two recognize me? I mean did you feel like ya knew me or something, back when I killed that hollow?"

A thoughtful expression appeared upon Tayuya's face.

"Hmm...Sorta, I mean maybe we met before?"

Naruto however, as peering closer at the lieutenant, as if he was on the verge of a great discovery.

The words were out of his mouth, as if spoken by another, as a ragged image passed through his mind.

"We...fought together, didn't we?"

Unable to explain himself, the blond shrugged seconds later.

"It feels like that or something."

Shock appeared in Abarai's eyes, and he shook his head rapidly.

"No way. No _freaking _way. You two _died_."

Annoyed, Tayuya stamped one foot into the sand.

"Hey hey! Somebody tell me what's going on here!"

Renji pulled out what looked like a small pager, and after listening for a moment, spoke into it.

"Captain Kuchiki, I think I found them. No, I'm not kidding-

A man suddenly stood beside the redheadm his long hair swaying in the breeze.

Immediately, he eyed their zanpaktou, then allowed himself a small smile.

"I expected you two to live, and why am I not surprised?"

"WHAT THE FREAK IS GOIN ON?!" Shrieked a very annoyed Tayuya, her thin temper stretched to the breaking point already.

Byakuya arched an eyebrow, but it made sense, why would they remember, having been gone for so long?

"Very well then, if you want me to sum it up-

Both held their breath, eager to find out what the blazes was going on.

And with a simple sentence, all that they knew, reality itself, was shattered.

"You are the reincarnations of Ichigo Kurosaki, and Rukia Kuchiki, heroes. You sacrificed yourselves years ago, protecting Soul Society from Aizen Sousuke...

Renji prodded him in the gut, and whispered some more info.

"I was getting to that." Stated Byakuya, as the two just stared in shock.

"You are also husband and wife."

At last, it all caught up with them, and their simultaneous shriek shook the world itself.

"NANI?!"


End file.
